In Over My Head
by Artimus-Maora
Summary: The Four Swords go on a trip together- but Blue has something he's not told the other Links. He is not a strong swimmer. The others find that out when they go swimming and Blue almost drowns. What will he say when Red offers to help him overcome this problem? BluexRed; rated T for a couple swears, a couple vague references, and near-death.
1. Chapter 1- Arrival

It had been Zelda's idea- all four of the Four Swords had decided to take a short vacation together to celebrate Vaati's defeat. The Princess had taken it upon herself to arrange for their departure to a small cabin up near a mountain lake- her reasoning was that it was the least she could do for all they had done to save the kingdom.

"We'll be more than fine while you're away- go off and have some fun together for once! Goddesses know you deserve it!" She released then with a smile. "Go on, go!" Red, in particular, was overjoyed at the prospect of going on a vacation.

"This is gonna be so great!" He bubbled, packing up his clothes in his backpack for the trip. "We'll go swimming, hiking, build campfires, wake up _whenever_ we want, and everything!"

Green laughed at Red's contagious joy. "Yes, Red, it's going to be lots of fun," He chuckled. He buckled his backpack securely and slung it over his shoulders, picking up his fishing pole as well. "Vio, don't bring more than five books, 'kay? There's no way you'll be reading all the time."

"Mm-hm," Vio rolled his eyes. "We'll see about that."

"Blue!" Red grinned. "What're you looking forward to the most? I can't wait to go swimming!"

"Mm, I don't really care," Blue grunted and shrugged, folding his clothes very carefully before putting them into his backpack. "I just wanna get there and do my own thing."

"Aww, Blue, c'mon!" Red pressured. "Don't be so negative!"

"Yeah, Blue, don't be such a downer all week, okay?" Green grinned. "Let _us_ have some fun even if _you're_ pissed off, okay?"

"Whatever," Blue snorted, shouldering his backpack. "So, are we gonna get going or what? If we wait much longer, it'll be dark before we even make it halfway there!"

"We actually have about four hours before that'll even happen," Vio countered in a bored tone of voice, "but I agree- let's get started." In varying degrees of excitement, all four of the heroes picked up their things and headed out of their house.

Contrary to Vio's prophecy, it actually _was_ getting dark once they got there. "TOLD ya we needed to get going quickly," Blue rolled his eyes.

"Oh, Blue, be quiet! Look at how gorgeous this place is!" Red gushed. It was true- the lake was clear and deep, reflecting the pinkish-orange sunset. Pine trees ringed the lake, and on an outcropping from the mountainside was the small cabin. It was quaint and picturesque, the whole scene looking just like a painting.

Even Vio looked impressed, and Blue stopped acting grouchy long enough to appreciate how pretty everything looked. They were all removed from their stupor when Red let out a small whoop and ran towards the cabin, grabbing Blue by the wrist and dragging him along. "Come on!"

"Hey, let me go! Red!" The remaining two laughed at Blue's loud protests, walking after them at a slightly slower pace. Predictably Red arrived at the door of the cabin first, Blue in tow. He relinquished his grip on Blue's wrist, ("Good goddesses, you're stronger than you look!" Blue grumbled,) unlocking the door to the cabin and darting in.

"Oh, wow, it's so lovely in here!" Red gasped. Inside, the entryway to the house was furnished in a rustic country cottage style. Branching off the left of the entryway was the sitting room, consisting of a couch and a few chairs circled around a small coffee table facing a fireplace.

The kitchen was off the right of the entryway, and Red bounded up the stairs to check out the upper level. At the end of the hallway was a bathroom with a shower and separate bathtub, with two sinks and a large mirror.

On each side of the hall was a door, and in each of the two bedrooms there were two twin beds. Red poked his head into one of them, calling out, "Guys, look! We're gonna share rooms!" He turned to smile brightly at Blue. "Ooh, Blue! You can sleep in that one and I'll go in this one!" He pointed at the bed farthest from the door, then the closer one.

"Aw, I've got to share a room with _him_?" Blue groaned loudly.

"It could be worse, Blue- you could share a room with _me_," Vio raised his eyebrows with a smirk. "Remember what happened last time?"

There was silence for a moment. "Fine, fine, I see your point." ***

"I thought so. Green, I get the bed in _this_ room that's closer to the window."

"Vio, both the beds have windows."

"Well, I want _this_ one, then."

"Whatever, Vio." Green rolled his eyes. Blue sighed loudly and trudged over to his side of the room, setting his backpack down heavily on the foot of the bed and pulling out his things. As Red began to chatter incessantly he nodded distractedly, re-folding his clothes so the edges were crisp and pristine before setting them neatly in the trunk at the foot of his bed.

Since it was so late in the day, Blue just decided to change into his pajamas. "Red," He said as he pulled his tunic over his head, "you know I'm not really listening, right?"

"I know, Blue," Red sighed and grinned a little, changing as well. "I just wanted to sort of get it out to somebody. And you always put up with me, even though you don't really say much, so I just like talking to you." He finished with a bright smile.

"Heh…" Was Blue's only reply. The four of them had eaten on the way there, so there was really nothing to do but head to sleep. Blue climbed into bed and laid down on his back, sighing and tucking his arms behind his head. He closed his eyes, and was about to start drifting off to sleep when-

"Hey Blue?"

He exhaled loudly and turned his head to the left- Red was curled up on his side, staring at Blue through the semidarkness. "What, Red?"

"What are we gonna do tomorrow?" The scarlet Link asked, his eyes shining happily.

"I dunno, Red- whatever you want to do," Blue sighed.

"D'you think we could all go swimming?" Red sat up and reached to the foot of his bed, rummaging around in the trunk and pulling out his fluffy teddy bear. He snuggled back down into his mattress, facing Blue and cuddling the plush.

"Sure." Blue shut his eyes and nodded. Red giggled and was silent. Blue thought he was finished, until-

"…Blue?"

"What?" Blue replied, his tone slightly grumpy. When Blue was tired, he only became gruffer and surlier; not even Red was totally exempt from this.

"Can we hang out together tomorrow?" Red's voice was small and hopeful.

Blue gave another tired sigh, rubbing his forehead. "Why not? Sure."

Red giggled happily. "Yay! I can't wait!" Another short pause. "I'm sorry, I'll shut up now."

"Please." Blue grumbled under his breath.

"Sweet dreams, Blue!" Red called out, snuggling his teddy bear and shutting his eyes.

"You too, Red." Blue mumbled, rolling again onto his back and drifting asleep.

End chapter 1!

*** I have a funny little extra scene that goes in here- perhaps I'll post it later as explanation. XD

I'll try to get chapter two up soon!

~Artimus-Maora


	2. Chapter 2- Going Under

The next morning, Blue awoke to what should have been an unusual sound, but was now routine- Red, sitting on the foot of his bed, calling for him to get up. "Wake up, Blue, wake up!" Blue did his customary response- he rolled over and refused to acknowledge him. This prompted Red to crawl up and sit on Blue's knees, bouncing impatiently.

"Come on, Blue, wake up!" He insisted, pouting. "We're gonna start breakfast soon!" He paused as Blue groaned and slammed a pillow over his head. "…BLUE, HELP!"

Blue sat up with a yell as he heard Red's scream, glancing around frantically. When he saw Red sitting on his knees, his panicked expression turned to a moody frown. "…You do this every day, and it STILL freaks me out."

Red giggled. "Well, it gets you up, doesn't it?"

"Doesn't it piss off the others?"

"They're already awake, you know that," Red grinned.

"You know, someday you're going to actually be in trouble, and I'm not gonna pay attention because you cry wolf so often." Blue gave Red a small push to get him off his knees, and then began to change into his tunic.

"Nuh-uh!" Red shook his head, shifting to perch on the side of Blue's bed. "You haven't disregarded me yet, so I don't think you'll ignore me!"

"Well, someday I WILL, just to bug you," Blue rolled his eyes, finished changing. His stomach growled. "So, what was that about breakfast?"

Red laughed and hopped up, grabbing hold of Blue by his upper sleeve and tugging him in the direction of the doorway. "Green's making eggs, and Vio's setting the table, and I was gonna make pancakes- could you make bacon? You always make it really yummy and crispy!"

"Okay." Blue followed Red's direction with minimal resistance, knowing it really was pointless to fight back. They went downstairs, and they were both greeted by the other two.

"Ah, you only had to shout once to wake Blue up today?" Vio asked with a smirk, setting out four plates at the small dining table.

"Yeah- didn't you guys hear me?" Red giggled, releasing Blue's sleeve and heading to make pancake batter.

"Aw, shut up, guys," Blue grumbled, already putting strips of bacon into the frying pan. "So tell me again what the plans are for today?"

"Well, we were all pretty neutral on what we wanted to do- Red was the only one with any ideas, so today we're gonna hang out down at the lake!" Green grinned, scrambling some eggs in a pan on the other side of the stove. "I dunno about you guys, but I think I'm gonna try to catch some fish! Maybe we can have them for dinner tonight."

"That sounds great!" Red grinned, pouring the batter onto the griddle in simple shapes. "I can't wait to go swimming- it looks like it's going to be really hot outside today, so the water's going to probably feel really nice!"

"Yes, it probably will," Vio agreed, sitting down at the table and flipping the pages of his newest novel. Blue sighed and rolled his eyes, putting the cooked strips of bacon onto a plate and setting that plate down in the center of the table.

"Vio, pour everyone milk." Blue ordered. "You're not doing much else."

"Clearly I am reading."

"Pour the damn milk."

"YOU pour it."

"Vio, get your nose out of that book before I take it and shove it up your-"

"Pancakes!" Red sang out, cutting off Blue's threat as he danced over to the table with the plate of steaming hotcakes. "I made special shapes for you all today, since it's a special day!" He plopped down a couple on each of their plates- some were circles, some were mostly square, some were triangular, and a couple were even vaguely heart -shaped.

Green joined the table with a platter of scrambled eggs, and Blue forgot his threat to Vio in favor of breakfast. As they all ate, it was Red who chattered the most about their plans for the day. "I can hardly _wait_ to get started having fun!" He gushed, pouring a ton of maple syrup onto his pancakes. "You guys, we've got to go swimming today!"

"We will, Red!" Green laughed, munching on a bacon strip.

"Geez, you haven't shut up about the swimming deal since we got here," Blue grumbled, stabbing moodily at his eggs with his fork. "Give it a rest, will you?"

Red's expression turned pouty, and he gazed at Blue with an accusing look. "But you promised we could do whatever I wanted to!" He protested, his bottom lip quivering slightly. "And I want to go swimming! You told me you'd hang out with me today, remember?"

"Yeah, Blue, have a heart," Vio piped up, giving Blue a reproachful look. He made the phrase literal by tossing a heart-shaped pancake onto Blue's plate; it landed in a puddle of syrup, much to Blue's discontent. He hated when his foods mixed on his plate.

"Vio, stay out of this," Blue grumbled, jabbing his fork at him. He carefully moved the pancake from the syrup, and then returned his attention to Red. "Yeah, I remember, Red- we'll go swimming. Why the hell not?"

Green gave Blue a disapproving look, but Red ignored Blue's somewhat reluctant air and cheered. "Hooray! As soon as we're done, we should all head outside and go down to that beautiful lake! The water looks so clear, and it'll feel so good when the sun comes out…" Red kept up an almost constant chatter throughout the rest of the meal, and Blue finally just crammed the rest of his bacon into his mouth and left the table early to evade all the talking.

In about half an hour everybody was ready to walk down to the mountain lake- in addition to beach towels, sunglasses, and their swim clothes, everybody had different things they brought to the water. Green had his fishing pole in tow, while Red carried along a beach ball. Vio, of course, had a book or two in case things got boring, and Blue just had the bag of beach stuff- sunblock, sand toys that Red liked, and just odds and ends that they always ended up needing.

Red, of course, was the first to arrive at the beach. "Oh, wow, it's even prettier up close!" He beamed. "Look at how clean and nice the water is!" Vio and Green nodded in agreement, while Blue just shrugged and set down the beach bag.

Red bounced over, grinning excitedly. "Blue, Blue, where's the sunscreen?" He asked, peering into the bag. "I wanna go into the water, it looks _so_ nice!"

"Calm it down, Red, the water's still going to be there in thirty seconds," Blue rolled his eyes as Vio set out a beach towel underneath a tree to sit upon as he read. "Sunscreen's here." He fished out the bottle of lotion and tossed it to Red, who began to slather it all over his chest, shoulders, and face.

"You going fishing, Green?" Blue asked as Green took up a position at the edge of the shoreline on a rock.

"No, Blue, I'm just going to sit on this rock and rest my fishing pole uselessly beside me."

"No need to give me attitude, sheesh!"

"This coming from YOU, Blue?"

"Shut up and go catch a snapping turtle." At this, Red looked up with fearful eyes.

"Snapping turtle?" He repeated. "There are… snapping turtles in here?"

"It was just a joke, Red, I don't think there are any snapping turtles in this lake," Blue shook his head with a slight grin.

"How do you know?" Red's eyes were wide now.

"He's right, Blue," Vio piped up from his place in the shade of a birch tree. "This is actually a pretty nice habitat for snappers to live."

"Well, here's an idea- you swim around for a couple hours and test the water for us, Vio. Let us know if you have all your toes when you finish."

"Blue!"

"Sorry, Red, it's just a joke."

"Hey, Blue, can you get me a different lure?" Green called out from atop his rock. "I don't want to use the spinner here; the tacklebox should be in the beach bag."

"Yeah, give me a second." Blue fished around in the bag, quickly finding the box and chucking it to Green. "Catch!" Green deftly caught the rattling box, nodding in thanks and rummaging around to find the right lure.

" Blue?" Red whined.

"What?" It was like Blue was suddenly the center of attention, for some reason.

"Can you please get the areas on my back that I missed? I can't really reach all the way around." Red held out the bottle of sunscreen with a hopeful smile.

Blue let out a sigh and took the bottle, dropping to his knees in the sand behind Red. "All right, sure." He poured some of the lotion onto his hands and began to rub it onto Red's back, grinning a little as Red let out a small yelp of surprise.

"Eee, why is it always so cold?" He giggled. "Every time it gets me…" Blue grinned a little more, finishing up quickly. "Thank you, Blue!" Red smiled. "I can do you, if you want?"

"Oh, um, sure." Blue obligingly removed his shirt and turned so his back was facing Red. Red, in turn, began to rub the sunscreen onto Blue's back, making sure to leave no area uncoated lest Blue be irresponsible and get a sunburn. "Did you get your shoulders yet?"

"No, I hadn't even taken my shirt off yet until just now," Blue shook his head.

"Oh, okay!" Red began to cover his shoulders in the lotion as well. Blue deemed it not worth it to protest and let Red fuss over him; he caught a shrewd glance from Vio, and made a face in return. 'Shut up,' he mouthed at the purple Link. Vio just shrugged and raised his hands as if to deny any implications, turning back to his book.

Blue turned back and glanced at Red over his shoulder. "I think I've got it from here, Red- thanks."

"No problem, Blue!" Red smiled. "Just be sure to get your chest and face, too- and don't forget your ears! Remember when Green sunburned his ears?"

"I remember- that was pretty bad," Green called, grimacing. "And if I recall correctly, _you_ took every opportunity to flick me in the ears, Blue."

"How could I not? It was perfect!" Blue protested, heeding Red's advice with the sunblock. "And Green, are you even catching anything?"

"Well… no, not really," Green admitted. "I think I'll join you and Red in a moment- swimming looks much more fun than sitting around waiting for a bite!" He climbed down off the rock and took the sunscreen from Blue.

As Vio looked on, Red dashed into the water with his beach ball, hollering for Blue to follow as he found the water to be wonderfully cool and refreshing. Follow he did, and soon Green joined them in the shallows as well.

The sun was hot, and even playing in the knee-deep water the boys soon grew uncomfortably warm. "C'mon, guys, let's swim a bit deeper!" Red suggested, tossing the beach ball back at Vio. It was somewhat wet, so when it landed in his lap and sprayed him with droplets of water, he was less than pleased.

As Red and Green both ran to deeper waters, Blue hung back for a second. There was something he never told the others, something he was somewhat embarrassed and ashamed of. He was not the biggest fan of water- he couldn't swim very well at all. Deep water was one of the very few things that actually scared him.

But he'd been increasing his stamina recently- he'd also forced himself to go swimming each time they went as a group, and he liked to think he'd been getting better at keeping himself afloat. Plus there were no waves to speak of on the lake- how deep could the water be this close to the shore, anyway? It'd be okay.

Blue swam after Red and Green, using strong strokes to propel himself through the calm water. The other two were already a dozen or so yards ahead of him, paddling around in the lake merrily. Green hollered out, "Come on, Blue, don't be so slow!"

"When I get there, Green…!" Blue let the threat hang empty, grinning as he swam towards Red and Green. They appeared to be on some sort of shallow spot or sand bar a short distance away- they were standing, at least. It was a good thing it was rather close by, because Blue was already getting winded.

He began to get slightly worried, though, when his strokes didn't seem to do all that much. He tried increasing his efforts, only to become increasingly panicked when the same thing happened. Oh no…

Feeling a sense of dread and horror creeping up in the pit of his stomach, Blue's movements became less of smooth swim strokes and more of terrified thrashing as he tried to keep his head above the water. This was bad. This was very, very bad.

Green had his back turned, so there was no way he saw Blue- Red was likewise distracted as well. And Vio was unable to do anything, being back on shore… Maybe he was at the sandbar already- maybe it was getting shallower and he could touch the bottom by now. Maybe he could catch his breath quickly.

Deciding to risk it, Blue momentarily stilled his struggles and let his head dunk below the surface. Another really bad idea. He sunk down two or three feet and felt nothing underneath him. The mild panic began to turn into actual fear as he shot back up with a frantic flailing of his limbs.

He broke the surface with a gasp, now openly panicking. He opened his mouth to call for help, but instead took in a mouthful of lakewater. He swallowed half of that and began coughing, thrashing wildly. He heard a scream from somewhere to his far left, followed by another shout he couldn't make out the words of as he vaguely heard another splash.

Blue felt himself plunge below the water again, and he was almost certain he wouldn't have enough energy to resurface this time. He inhaled another lungful of water, and reflexively tried to cough it up- the only thing that did was expel more air from his lungs.

Suddenly, though, he felt a force yank upward on one of his arms. He resurfaced with a strangled gasp, coughing and gagging. "Blue, hold on!" Green yelled at him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and tugging him back to shore. "Try to float on your back!"

Blue just didn't have the energy to do anything but cling weakly to Green's arm as he was pulled back. He was vaguely aware of Red paddling along nearby, worrying and fretting. "Blue, just stay with us here. Oh gosh, Blue, why are you bleeding?! What happened? Did a snapping turtle get you?!"

Despite the situation, he found the energy to snort. "No… damn turtles, Red…" He gasped, and as he did he tasted blood. Why WAS he bleeding? Oh, a bloody nose. Fantastic. Soon he felt his feet hit the bottom, and Green switched from dragging him through the water to supporting him with one arm slung over his shoulder. Red hastily went to Blue's other side, assisting as he could.

Vio was there in seconds too, prodding with questions. "I couldn't see- what happened? Why'd you go down, Blue? Are you injured, or did the lakewater just irritate your nose? Are you okay?"

"Shut up, Vio," Blue managed to growl out, collapsing onto his hands and knees as he coughed up a lungful of lakewater and blood. He was trembling all over- he couldn't stop how badly his limbs were shaking. Red moved to place a hand gently on his shoulder, but Blue crossly jerked away.

"Blue, what happened?" Red asked softly. "Are you all right?"

"I'm just fine, Red," Blue snarled, wiping at his face with the back of his hand.

"At least let me help with the blood-"

"Red, I said I'm FINE!" Blue actually shouted, his face burning. Despite still feeling so weak, he pushed himself to his feet and shoved past the other three, stumbling into the surrounding woods.

He staggered through the trees angrily, feeling humiliated and ashamed. Now it was out in the open- the others knew he about his irrational fear of water. And the fact that he sucked at swimming. That he had a major weakness. Ugh.

Blue leaned against a tree trunk, feeling exhausted and drained. He wiped at his bloody nose again, sinking to his knees and feeling suddenly very cold. He almost didn't hear the soft footsteps on the forest floor until they were right behind him. He glanced quickly over his shoulder. "…Red."

Red was standing there, still mostly soaked as well, holding his crimson beach towel and shifting his weight from foot to foot. "Hi Blue," He said nervously. "Are… are you chilly?" Blue gave a noncommittal shrug, turning away from him again.

"I told you I'm fine, Red," He muttered quietly, not as much malice in his voice now that they were alone. Red stepped up to kneel beside him, draping the beach towel over Blue's shoulders.

"You don't look fine, Blue," He protested in a small voice, rubbing Blue's back. "What happened out there?" He took the corner of the towel and dabbed at Blue's bloodied face. Blue's shoulders drooped as he let out a sigh, for once not minding Red's fussing.

"I…" Blue reluctantly sighed again, dropping his gaze. "I don't really… I don't really like deep water, because I'm not… I guess I'm not the strongest swimmer."

Red was quiet a moment, leaning against Blue. "I had no idea," He said quietly. "Blue, if I'd known you didn't like water that much, I'd have never made you come swimming with Green and me…"

"No, that I did on my own," Blue shook his head. "I thought I'd gotten better at it, but…" He gave a grim chuckle. "I suppose not."

"Aw, Blue…" Red sighed and rested his head against Blue's shoulder. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Why do you think?" Blue replied with a halfhearted scoff.

"Did you think we'd make fun of you or something?" Blue gave him no reply to that. "Blue, I'd never make fun of you for something you're scared of!"

"I wouldn't blame you if you _did_; I've done the same to you lots before," Blue pulled the towel a bit tighter around his shoulders.

"You never really meant it," Red shook his head. "I know you didn't." He paused a moment. "We can head back in if you want?"

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna do that soon," Blue sighed. He rubbed at his nose with the back of his hand again, discovering there was pretty much only dried blood at this point. Red picked up a damp section of the towel and proceeded to clean up the congealed blood. Blue flinched away a little, but gave in quickly and let him fret.

After another minute or two of comfortable silence, Red said, "Shall we head back now?"

"Yeah, sure," Blue nodded. He rose to his feet as Red did, giving him a small, grateful grin. "Thanks, Red," He mumbled, reaching out and ruffling his damp hair playfully.

Red giggled and swatted at his hand. "Don't mention it, Blue." They walked back to where Vio and Green were still hanging out at the beach- Vio reading and Green fishing. After explaining that they were heading back to the cabin and picking up their stuff, Blue and Red made their way back inside.

.-.-.-.-

.-.-.-.-

.-.-.-.-

End chapter 2!

Funny part of this is that this whole story was based on an actual experience of mine. -_- Nearly drowning in a lake and getting a bloody nose while drowning. Tons of fun that was. Luckily my cousins were lifeguards or I would have gone under.

fun times.

Anyway hope to have chapter 3 up soon too!

~Artimus-Maora


	3. Chapter 3- You Wanna Help Me?

Blue dropped the beach bag off in the entryway, trudging upstairs. He felt tired- he shouldn't have, but he did. He just wanted to take a hot shower and rest. Red timidly entered the room as Blue was gathering up his clothes. "Is there anything you need, Blue?"

"No thank you, Red," Blue shook his head with a soft sigh. "I just wanna shower and then kick out for a bit…"

"Okay," Red nodded, perching on the edge of his bed and watching the other Link. "I'll pretty much just be hanging out here…" Blue nodded silently and walked out of the room; he extended a hand and ran it softly through Red's hair as he passed him by. Red shut his eyes and nuzzled his hand before Blue withdrew it, choosing to then curl up atop his bedspread on his side, his knees hugged to his bare chest.

Blue entered the bathroom and shut the door behind him. His eyes fell on the bathtub and he shivered- it'd be a while before he willingly submerged himself again, even if said water was only about two feet deep. No, a shower was better.

He turned the tap on, choosing to heat the water to an almost scalding temperature- the lake had been pretty cold. After taking a second to remove his swim shorts he stepped in, goosebumps rising on his skin as the hot water splashed over him.

He gritted his teeth at even just the unsettling feel of the water- it was searing to the point of being freezing cold. The liquid was ice on his neck and shoulders, but the steam rising in the shower was _hot_. The air was extremely humid in mere minutes, the moisture condensing on the bathroom mirror and running down its surface in small rivers. The steam was suffocating, filling Blue's lungs and choking him-

He shut off the water hurriedly, almost stumbling in his haste to get out and grab a towel. He dried off as fast as possible, throwing his clothes on haphazardly and getting the hell out of the suffocating room.

Blue made his way back to the room he shared with Red, walking to his bed with his head bowed. He sat down with his back to Red, pulling his legs to his chest and resting his chin atop his knees. He wouldn't let anybody see him like this, so affected by one stupid thing- but Red wasn't just anybody.

It took only seconds before Blue heard Red stand up and pad over to stand on the other side of his bed. "What is it?"

Even though he was more open with Red than with the other two, he still wasn't _completely_ open. "What makes you think anything's wrong?" Blue mumbled, knowing it was fairly obvious.

"The way you're acting, the way you're talking, and the fact that you didn't notice you put your shirt on backwards," Red finished with a tiny chuckle, climbing up onto Blue's bed and crawling on his hands and knees until he came to a rest at Blue's side. He had changed back into his tunic during the short time Blue had been gone. "Gosh, Blue, is it really that bad?"

Blue gave a small shrug and a neutral grunt, not really glancing at him. "I dunno…" He shivered involuntarily, prompting Red to touch his forehead softly.

"Why are you shivering- your skin feels really hot…" Red frowned. "How much lakewater did you swallow?"

"I dunno- more than I'd care to admit," Blue replied. "I don't feel sick or anything, though- I just took a really hot shower…"

Red sighed softly and leaned against him, hugging his arm with gentle pressure. "What are we going to do about this..?" Blue glanced at him in slight surprise.

"We? Do something about it?"

"Well, of course!" Red grinned a little. "There's no way I'm gonna let you be weighed down by a fear!" His grin turned slightly shy. "Besides… you always tell me how I should get over my fears, and you've helped me get rid of some of them. I'm not afraid of the dark anymore."

Blue nodded a little, the ghost of a smile on his face. "I remember that… Yeah, it took you a little while to get over that one, but you did it." He nudged him gently. "I was really… proud of you for that."

"Aw, Blue…" Red giggled. After a pause he continued. "But I _am_ serious about this. I want to help you."

"Are you planning on dragging the others into this, too?" Blue sighed, glancing away again.

"No, I'm not; not unless you're comfortable with it," Red shook his head, trying to lean over to be in Blue's line of sight again. "Bluuuuuuue…" He whined when Blue refused to look at him. "Won't you let me help you?"

Blue stubbornly evaded his gaze, prompting Red to huff softly and get up. He stood before Blue and reached out, taking his head in his hands and pulling him so he could look him in the eyes. "Please, Blue…" He said softly. "I want to help you like you've helped me."

Blue tried to avoid meeting Red's gaze, but when he was holding his head in place it was rather difficult to do that. He finally gave in and nodded, shutting his eyes. "Fine, Red." He reached up and placed his hands over Red's, taking them from his face and just holding them loosely.

Red smiled and squeezed his hands reassuringly. "Yay!" He beamed, giving a small hop of joy. "I think I have a plan…" Before he could say anything further, they heard the door to the cabin open and the other two re-enter.

"Red, Blue?" Green called out. "You guys up there?"

"Yeah, we're here!" Red replied. Blue hastily dropped Red's hands and stood up, turning around and backing away from the bed.

"Catch anything, Green?" Blue hollered as he strode to stand in the doorway to their room.

"No," Green said dejectedly. "You wanna hear the best part?"

"Tell us!" Red had walked up beside Blue without his notice.

"Will you all stop yelling? You two just come downstairs- it's time to make dinner, anyway," Vio interjected.

"Fine, fine," Blue rolled his eyes. He was about to trudge downstairs when Red caught him by the back of his collar. Red motioned to his shirt- which was still backwards- and Blue sighed. He pulled his arms out of the sleeves and twisted the shirt around until it was facing the right way, at which point he put his arms back through the sleeves. "Thank you."

Red just giggled in response, taking hold of Blue's wrist and tugging him out of the room. As he pulled Blue down the stairs, Red called out, "So what were you saying, Green?"

Green glanced over at them as he set his fishing pole against the back wall. "You know how mountain lakes are pretty cold?"

"Yeah, I picked that up pretty well," Blue muttered.

"Well, I didn't know this, but most are apparently too cold to support fish much larger than minnows," Green grumbled, glancing over at Vio. The purple-garbed Link shrugged, looking faintly smug.

"Don't mind Green's attitude- he's just moody because he didn't actually think ahead." Vio hummed.

"You could have told me there wouldn't be any fish worth catching! I brought my fishing pole all the way up here for nothing!" Green retorted with a hint of a pout.

"You never asked," Vio said smugly, turning around and heading into the kitchen. "Now help make dinner." Green huffed and reluctantly followed Vio. Red giggled and glanced at Blue.

"Vio's such a troll sometimes, huh?" He grinned. Between the way his clear blue eyes seemed to sparkle, his sweet laugh, and the innocent way he joked, Blue couldn't help but chuckle as well.

"Just a bit, yeah," He grinned, bumping his shoulder against Red's. Red giggled again and pulled Blue along into the kitchen.

"Come on, I'm hungry! Let's help Green and Vio get dinner started!"

-.-.-.-.-

.-.-.-.-.

End chapter three!

Woo, Red's gonna try to help Blue out! :D He's such a sweetie pie, I love writing as him. (Perhaps cuz all the characters I RP as are usually pretty serious) So what's little Red gonna do to help Blue out? Well, y'all are just gonna have to wait and see. ;D *totally doesn't already have most of the story typed up, nope*

C&C, as always, appreciated!

~Artimus-Maora


	4. Chapter 4- So THIS is what you meant

After they ate dinner, all four boys just hung out together in the living room. Green had started a fire in the fireplace, and he was seated in a chair relatively close to the hearth. Vio had taken it upon himself to take up the entire couch by laying down flat over it, reading the same book he'd started at the beach.

Red was perched in an armchair across from Green's; since there were no more seats available in the area, Blue just sat down by Red's chair and leaned against his knees. From time to time Red would gently nudge him in the back, and Blue would retaliate by lightly elbowing him. This prompted a soft giggle from Red each time, which in turn made Blue grin slightly.

When their conversation had run dry, Vio nodded his head at Blue. "So, Blue… I bet you took a nice, long bath as soon as you got home, huh?" His tone was lightly teasing, but it was not a matter Blue wanted to be goaded about.

Blue growled softly and glared at him. "Don't even go there, Vio. Just don't go there."

Vio shrugged a little. "Technically speaking, I haven't gone anywhere. I've been on this couch for the past hour."

"Oh yeah? You're gonna be on the floor in a second." Blue made to lunge at Vio, but Red leaned forward and grabbed his shoulders, pulling him hastily back down and sliding his arms around his neck to keep Blue from getting up again.

"Just drop it, Vio," Red said with a hint of warning in his voice. "Blue's had a rough day, okay?"

Vio looked as though he was itching to come back with a witty remark, but he backed down a little under Blue's still-angry gaze. "Whatever," He said simply, returning to his book for the time being.

Green glanced awkwardly between the silent Vio, the glowering Blue, and Red, who was still bent forward with his arms around Blue's neck. "Well, I think I'm going to head to bed," He decided, standing up and stretching. "What do you think; should I douse the fire, or are those embers gonna burn themselves out within ten minutes?"

"They'll be okay, Green," Red nodded. "Vio, how do you have enough light to read that?"

"Ehh…"

"Vio, put the damn book away before you go blind," Blue grumbled, still moody.

"I have reading glasses, Blue."

"Because you're wearing out your eyes trying to read in the dark!"

"Maybe we should all turn in soon," Red said with a nervous chuckle, raising a hand to run it through Blue's hair in an effort to calm him down before he got too angry. It worked; Blue relaxed subconsciously, leaning back against Red's knees again.

"Meh, perhaps…" Vio sat up and marked the page of his book, shutting it and standing. "I suppose I shall. Goodnight to you both." So saying, he turned and left. Now only Red and Blue were left awake in the living room.

Red let out a soft sigh, his hand still moving through Blue's hair in a slow forward and back rhythm. "Ignore Vio, Blue," He said quietly. "You know how he gets at this time of day…"

"Yeah, I know," Blue grunted. "You'd think he'd have the common sense not to piss me off, though."

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" Red sighed again. After another few moments of silence, Red shyly nudged Blue in the back. "Scoot forward a little, will you?" Blue inched forward obediently; Red slid off the chair to sit behind him, settling down on the floor with an arm and a leg on either side of him. He circled his arms around Blue's middle and sighed, resting his cheek against the back of Blue's shoulder.

Blue started blushing as soon as Red moved, turning a deeper shade of crimson as Red snuggled against him from behind. He sighed and laid his hand over one of Red's, shutting his eyes briefly. This scenario could have gotten awkward in a heartbeat, but with Red there it just didn't seem to matter how it could have been.

Blue leaned his head back and rested it against Red's, subconsciously nuzzling him slightly. Red let out his breath softly, and then whispered, "You're still okay with me helping you out, right?"

"Mm-hm," Blue grunted softly.

"Okay…" Red nuzzled him before standing up, tugging Blue to his feet as well. "Then follow me." He led Blue back upstairs. "Change into something you won't mind if you get water on." As apprehensive as those words made him, Blue followed Red's order, changing into his swimsuit again and an old shirt. Red did the same, picking up his towel as well, and then walked to the door and motioned for Blue to follow.

They crept past the room Green and Vio shared, sneaking down the stairs and slipping out of the cabin. Blue followed Red through the semidarkness, their only real light being the half-moon and the stars, feeling slightly nervous as he saw where their path was leading.

They stopped once they were standing on the beach again, looking out at the dark lake. Blue shifted his weight, muttering, "Don't tell me you're gonna make me go swimming in the dark…"

Red gave a little shrug. "We're not going out too far, Blue, don't worry. It'll be all right- trust me." So saying, he dropped his towel onto the sand and stepped into the lake. He glanced back at Blue. "Blue, come on."

Blue didn't move, still staring nervously at the water. No, there were no fish in the lake bigger than minnows and guppies. But what if there _was_ a snapping turtle or something? What then? "Blue…" Red said softly. He extended a hand to him, only up to his knees in the water. "Come on…"

Blue sighed and took one step into the water, shivering at its icy cold temperature. The chills stayed with him instead of fading, though; an uncomfortable sensation that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. He froze after three steps- he was roughly up to his calves in the lake.

Red advanced towards Blue, taking hold of his hands and tugging him forward gently. "It's all right, Blue," He said in a soft, calm voice. "Don't be afraid." Blue gritted his teeth and set his jaw, ignoring how unsettling the water felt and following Red until they were wading in water up to their knees.

At that point Red stopped, just holding Blue in place lightly. "Are you doing okay?" He asked. "Is this too far?"

Blue shook his head. "N-no, it's okay…" He shuddered slightly, but it wasn't as bad as he thought it'd be. It was just a bit chilly…

"All right, this is good…" Red nodded. He slowly moved to sit down in the lake, the water rising up to the bottom of his ribcage. "Blue, sit with me." He tugged his hands insistently.

Blue inwardly balked, but after a moment of having to stare at Red's pleading gaze, he sighed and reluctantly lowered himself into the water. He shivered involuntarily as the water rose up to his ribs, and his breathing quickened. "No deeper," He muttered.

Red shook his head. "No, Blue, we'll stop right here." He squeezed Blue's hands reassuringly. "We'll just stay here." Blue nodded, and the two lapsed into silence. Red glanced upward into the skies and gasped softly. "Wow, Blue, look at all the stars!"

Blue looked up too; he had to admit, he was impressed. There were almost impossibly many stars studding the night sky like tiny flecks of silver on blue velvet. "It's amazing," Blue said softly. "Are there that many stars at home?"

"I don't know- I don't think so," Red shook his head. "It seems so much more amazing up here…" He returned his focus to Blue. "How many stars do you think there are out there?"

Blue snorted. "Red, I don't think anyone knows for sure."

"No, I suppose not…" He sighed a little. "Are you okay being in the water like this?" He indicated the height to which the water rose- it was about level with the bottom of their ribcages.

Blue shrugged a bit. "Yeah, this is okay, I guess…" He certainly wouldn't have come here on his own, but that was sort of the point. He fidgeted a little. "So, um… What did you want to do tomorrow?"

"Hm…" Red tilted his head back up to look at the darkened skies again. "I sort of wanted to go hiking, if everyone else went with me… I don't know, I just don't want to go alone."

Blue nodded in consideration. "Hiking sounds fun- we could convince Green to come along, I'm pretty sure… Vio might stay behind, you know how he hates pointless walking."

"So, that'd be three of us," Red mused. "That sounds like fun!" He grinned. "Especially if we could get Vio to come along!"

"You sure that'd make it more fun?" Blue snorted.

Red giggled. "C'mon, Blue, give Vio a chance. He can be fun on occasion!"

"But not this occasion, I'm guessing."

"Well…"

Blue chuckled a little and shook his head. "Well, with or without Vio, we can go hiking tomorrow." He shifted a little bit in the water, shivering slightly.

Red noticed him squirm. "I think we've been out here long enough for one night." From the time they'd gotten into the water to the time it took to get to this depth, it had been a total of about 40 minutes. "Shall we head back in?" He asked softly. Blue nodded wordlessly, standing up and extending his hand to Red as well. Red accepted it and allowed Blue to pull him up, both of them wading back to shore.

They dried off and walked back to the cabin, changing back into their pajamas and crawling into bed. As usual, they didn't go right to sleep. Red propped his head up on one hand, gazing over at Blue through the darkness.

"Are you a little bit more comfortable in the water now, Blue?" He asked quietly.

"I dunno… I guess so," Blue shrugged a little bit. He wasn't ready by any means to submerge himself completely, but he was a little better.

"That's good," Red gave a small smile. "Tomorrow night we can go a little deeper until you can go in all the way, okay?"

"All right," Blue conceded with a sigh.

"And the hiking will be good exercise; you can build your stamina a little if you carry more weight…" Red flopped onto his back, thinking. "And if you build more stamina, you can swim farther…"

"I know how stamina works, Red," Blue rubbed the bridge of his nose, hiding a grin. "Just go to bed, 'kay?"

"You're right," Red giggled. "I probably should; even without extra weight, hiking is tough!" He pulled the covers up to his chin and snuggled down. "G'night, Blue!"

"See you tomorrow, Red," Blue sighed and shut his eyes.

.-.-.

.-.-.

End chapter 4! So this is what Red's gonna try to do- lure Blue out a little deeper each night, until he gets comfortable in the water again. :D Wonder how well this will go...?~

As always, R&R very much appreciated! ^u^ Thanks for reading!

~Artimus-Maora


	5. Chapter 5- Let's See How Far We Go

Blue was surprised when he awoke the next morning- he'd had no nightmares the previous evening. He had sort of been grimly expecting them. Well hell, he wasn't complaining. Red wasn't in the room- he must have headed downstairs already. Blue got dressed and headed out of their room, nearly colliding with the smaller Link as he went.

"Oh! Morning, Blue!" Red smiled- his hair was tousled and wet, presumably from a shower. "You were right- Vio didn't seem too pleased about the notion of hiking, so it'll be you, me, and probably Green."

"What, haven't asked Green yet?" Blue leaned against the doorframe.

"No, he just went into the shower," Red shook his head. "We can ask him when he gets out!"

"Sure, whatever," Blue shrugged, moving to let him pass. "What's for breakfast?"

"Uh, dunno yet," Red said as he put his pajamas back into the trunk at the foot of his bed. "Want to go check?"

"Yeah, why not?" The two of them headed downstairs, getting a small breakfast of bagels and eggs. By that time Green arrived, and he readily agreed to go on the hike with them.

"Sounds like fun!" He grinned. "Vio, you're not coming?"

"No, thank you," Vio declined, his face hidden in a new book. "I'd rather not wear my legs down to the ankles just to see a pretty view."

"But it's going to be a _really_ pretty view!" Red tried to persuade him.

"Ah, let him be," Blue shrugged, walking over to Vio and messing up his hair. "If the sourpuss wants to stay here, let him- he can watch the cabin, anyway." Vio hissed and swatted at Blue's hand- when he missed, he settled for glaring and flattening his hair back out.

Blue stuck his tongue out at him, smirking. "If you're done pestering one another, we should get ready to go hiking," Green rolled his eyes, sighing.

"Yeah!" Red chirped, grinning. "Blue and I are already all set up, Green, so you should go real quick and get ready!"

"Okay- meet you guys at the front door in five!"

The day passed uneventfully, the hike up and down the mountainside a pleasant affair. The air was fresh and clean, and the trek wasn't all that difficult. Red was cheery the whole way, chattering about that pretty tree, those gorgeous wildflowers, and that amazing view.

They returned home and had dinner, and after nightfall Blue and Red headed back out to the lake. Just like before, Red had Blue wade into the water, this time wading in all the way to his waist and then remaining there.

Red swam around Blue, telling him about which swim strokes used less effort than the others, how to tread water, and the like. Blue began to focus less on what he was saying and more on how he seemed to move through the water as easily as a fish. All of his motions were so fluid, and he seemed to expend no effort as he swam. "Blue, are you even listening to me?"

Blue jerked out of his reverie, realizing he'd been staring absently at Red. "Oh- um, sorry, yeah…" He nodded, trailing the tips of his fingers through the water absently. "I just… yeah."

Red sighed and rolled his eyes. "Then do this." He demonstrated the front crawl. "Put your arms above your head one at a time, try to sort of float on your belly, and kick your feet at the same time."

"I'm not putting my face in the water," Blue balked. No way.

Red huffed. "Then just try the rest of it- you don't have to do the funny breathing, just stay above the water." He demonstrated again, this time keeping his head lifted. "Try?"

Blue slowly nodded, kicking off the lake bottom and hesitantly attempting the stroke. He began panicking slightly as he started to sink, but then he felt Red hold him under his ribcage and keep him afloat.

"Just practice the motions first," He said patiently. Blue squirmed uncomfortably.

"I feel stupid," He muttered.

"We're the only ones here, Blue," Red giggled. "Don't worry about looking silly!" He held Blue in place as he grudgingly began to practice making the motions of the swimstroke. "Okay, I'm letting you go now- just keep doing exactly that, and use enough effort to keep yourself up!" He slowly lowered his hands, letting Blue float on his own. Blue panicked a little bit as he felt Red stop supporting him, but then his rational sense took over and reminded him he was in shallow water. By the time he had sorted this out in his head, he was already swimming along steadily.

"There you go!" Red cheered happily. "You're doing great!"

Blue came to a stop, standing up on the sandy lake bottom. "I know how to swim, Red," He rolled his eyes. "I can do it. Just… Not for very long, I guess."

"No, I don't think that was your problem…" Red mused, wading to stand in front of him.

"No, I actually think it was," Blue countered.

"Shush, silly, and let me speak," Red chided him lightly; Blue obeyed. "I think you were probably getting tired, yeah, but then your fear of water took over and you believed you were more tired than you actually were. When you started thinking like that, you panicked, and even if you were swimming with proper form before, you weren't at that point. Basically, I think it was mostly up here where you had a problem." He reached out and tapped Blue's forehead.

Blue considered his words silently; eventually, the silence spanned long enough that Red sighed and turned away. He swam away from Blue, dunking his head under the water once more to flatten down his hair. "Do you think we're done for tonight, then?" He asked as he shook the water from his bangs.

Blue nodded wordlessly, wading back to shore with him. They grabbed their towels and dried off, starting up the path back to the cabin. Red's had was on the doorknob when Blue grabbed his wrist to halt him. Red glanced up questioningly as Blue bit his lip.

"... I think you're right." Blue mumbled. "About the thing for it being in my head."

Red smiled widely, turning and grabbing Blue's hands and squeezing gleefully. "If it's just in your head, we can absolutely get over this! It's just a mental game, we can do it!" He joyfully hugged Blue around his middle. Blue usually hated it when he hugged him; this time, however, he didn't really mind.

Blue hugged him back for a moment before they both decided to pull away and enter the house. They changed into pajamas and got into bed, lying on their sides facing each other.

Blue spoke first. "I think I might be able to actually do this," He smiled.

Red grinned happily, nodding. "Of course you can! I know it- you're so strong, Blue, you can do it!"

Blue chuckled. "Hopefully. If there's ever any way I can help you out after this, you've gotta let me know."

Red shook his head with a smile. "You've already helped me out and saved me from harm tons of times- this is me repaying you."

Blue smiled too, chuckling softly. "If that's what you wanna call this, then okay." He yawned. "Should we call it a night?"

Red nodded, burrowing down under the blankets. "Mmhm- night, Blue."

"G'night, Red." Blue dozed off.

Blue woke up much earlier than he normally did, in the early hours of the morning. It took him a moment to place the source of the noise that had woken him up, but once his vision cleared he figured it out.

Red was tossing and turning in his bed, letting out a frightened whimper every so often. His eyes were shut tight, limbs thrashing. Blue stood up, padding over to the side of his bed and touching his shoulder lightly. "Red... Wake up, Red..."

Red flinched away from his touch, whining and shuddering. He mumbled something incomprehensible before tugging at his blanket, writhing.

Blue tried again. "Red, wake up! It's just a nightmare, calm down!" Red didn't awaken, tears starting to squeeze out from under his eyelids as he shook. Blue climbed up onto the bed beside him, grabbing onto his shoulders and trying to pin him down. "Cool it!" Red only thrashed harder, sobbing.

Blue eventually gave up trying to force him down, instead sitting and pulling Red's shaking form into his lap. He held him like one would comfort a child, cradling him in his arms and trying to calm him. Red's movements faded from panicked flailing to terrified shaking, and his whimpers just became soft sobs. Blue stroked his hair, shushing him quietly as he rested his cheek against the top of Red's head.

"Come, stop your crying- it'll be all right..." Blue very softly whispered a song their mother used to sing when they were little; it always calmed them down. "Just take my hand; hold it tight." He gently pulled one of Red's arms away from where it was curled tight against his body, taking his hand. "I will protect you from all around you. I will be here, don't you cry..."

"For one so small, you seem so strong..." Blue's free hand gently played with Red's hair. "My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm. This bond between us can't be broken; I will be here, don't you cry."

He shut his eyes and rested his head against Red's. "You'll be in my heart. Yes, you'll be in my heart. From this day on, now and forever more. You'll be in my heart, no matter what they say. You'll be here in my heart, always..."

By the time he finished he noticed Red wasn't crying anymore- he was still, curled up against Blue and holding to his shirt tightly with his free hand. Blue said nothing, continuing to hold him in his lap.

He nearly jumped when Red spoke up quietly. "You sang to me." He tipped his head back to look up at Blue. "You haven't sung to me in months..."

Blue was probably blushing. "That's because you haven't needed it in months," he responded, gently running his fingers through Red's hair.

Red shut his eyes, leaning into Blue's touch. "Mmm... I guess so..."

Blue raised his other hand and pulled his sleeve over his fist, gently dabbing away any tears that still remained on his cheeks. "What were you dreaming about that made you so afraid?"

Red shut his eyes and buried his face in Blue's chest, shaking his head. "Nnn..."

"Can't you remember it? You were pretty scared..." Blue stroked his hair.

"I remember..." Red mumbled, sniffling. When he didn't elaborate further than that, Blue heaved a sigh and gave up.

"You should go back to sleep," he murmured, but Red shook his head fervently.

"N-No..." He whimpered, shuddering. "I don't want to..."

"Red, you need rest," Blue said gently. "I'll stay nearby if you want, but you should try to get back to sleep."

Red's bottom lip trembled, but he nodded shakily. "Please..." Blue nodded, adjusting their positions so he could lay down under the covers without letting go of Red. Red held onto his shirt, curling up against him and shaking. "Thank you..."

Blue nodded, protectively wrapping his arms around Red's middle. "Don't mention it," He whispered, nuzzling him softly. Red surprised him by lifting his head from Blue's chest long enough to stretch up and kiss his cheek before snuggling back down again, burrowing against him and quickly falling back asleep. Blue held him close all throughout the remainder of the night, dozing off in minutes.

-.-.

-.-.

-.-.

-.-.

Yikes, I'm bad at updating frequently.. I actually have most of this done, save for the very end… XD Well, I hope to get it posted! It's pretty good, if I wanna go out on a limb and pat myself on the back. Hah.

~Artimus-Maora


End file.
